UPDATED: The first day of first grade and other big milestones

We dropped off a nervous but almost smiling child this morning. Unlike last year, there was no leg clinging, but she did experience a last-minute panic moment over the new hairdo. “Will the kids make fun of my haircut?” But then she saw her friend Kennedi, her classmate in both K and 1st, it turns out, who squelched that fear with a compliment. “Your hair is awesome!” And all was good.

You are the BEST parents! I had NO choice in my clothing or haircuts until I was in high school and even then everything had to pass Mom’s approval. It was a different time and place…
The shoes are totally cool, but they look hot.

The first day of First Grade is still a big thing. Luke’s been in organized school for three years, but the transition to first grade includes real desks, his own books, and everyone facing the front of the classroom. It’s a huge difference for him, and still an emotional event for my daughter.

Everyone facing the front of the classroom? In 2012? My kids didn’t sit in that kind of arrangement until junior high. In elementary, they were either at tables, or the desks were arranged like tables. When I was teaching, the old school classroom layout was highly discouraged as the kids “need to be able to interact and learn from their peers.” Interaction never seemed to be a problem!

Just a warning – I had a girl in my class – 5th grade – who came in with a similar bold haircut. She hadn’t even made it to class before she was in tears because other kids were making fun of her. 1st graders usually aren’t as mean as 5th graders, but you never know how being different will play out.

…and please tell me she can tie her own shoes. As a former 1st grade teacher, I quickly learned the phrase “find a friend” for those kids who couldn’t tie shoes. Otherwise, I would have been spending half my day tying shoes and buttoning pants! Velcro is a good answer for some kids, but can also be a problem as kids are constantly opening and closing the velcro. The sound of 5-10 kids opening velcro over and over can drive you crazy after awhile! It also tends to pick up lint and then won’t stay closed. I prefer slip ons for those kids that can’t tie shoes.

Before I was teaching, I worked hard to teach my kids to tie shoes once they refused to wear velcro, so they both learned at age 4. Then I found out that they got to tie their own shoes, as well as many of their friend’s! It was good practice and they felt important. After I was teaching, at Meet the Teacher, I put the importance of shoe tying on my information sheet for 1st grade and asked parents to begin work on it as soon as possible if their kids hadn’t already mastered the skill. I still had kids who couldn’t do it at the end of the year! Some kids have difficulty with fine motor skills, but in others, it’s just that their parents didn’t think it was important. They obviously never taught 1st grade!